


Repairs

by Antares



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: First Kiss, Friendship, M/M, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 04:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7743376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack finds an old VW Camper, Daniel helps him to repair it</p>
            </blockquote>





	Repairs

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Reparaturen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7743823) by [Antares](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares). 



> Many, many thanks to my beta Cimmie!

On his way home from the Mountain Jack had to stop at a red light, and his bored gaze fell on a bright orange VW Camper, model T2. He remembered fondly that in his youth he’d always wanted a car like that. For him the small bus had been the symbol of pure luxury – especially during pouring rain and thunderstorms. But he’d never had the money to spare so he’d continued to travel with his mini-tent.

Later, with Sara and Charlie. he would have been able to afford the small camper. But with his often and irregular absences from home, all of them had preferred spending their time together at the house, in the garden. 

And after the Stargate program had taken over his life, all thoughts of ‘adventures’ on board of a small bus were as far from his mind as a friendly tea party with a Goa’uld. Jack’s need for adventure was more than fulfilled by his work. 

Being promoted to General a few months ago resulted in spending more time behind a desk and ‘on-world’ than he was really comfortable with. He missed going through the Stargate, missed the comradeship with his team and yes, even the adventures. And suddenly, the sight of the little orange camper brought back all those unfulfilled dreams and a deep sense of nostalgia. And a closer look revealed it was for sale. 

When the ‘friendly’ man in the car behind Jack’s started a honking fest an idea began to form in Jack’s head. 

***

Five days later, Jack was the proud owner of the small vintage bus. The logical choice would have been to ask Carter for help with the repairs, especially as the motor also needed a look over. But Mr. Humworthy had entered her life and Jack wasn’t keen on her waxing poetic on Pete Shanahan the whole time they worked together. 

So he asked Daniel instead. And if he was honest with himself, he missed spending time with Daniel a lot. Now that he was in the SGC and Daniel galloping around the galaxy, Jack missed the easy banter, the nights around a campfire on a foreign world under three moons, and even Daniel’s light snoring when they were sharing a tent. Therefore, he was very happy when Daniel promised to meet him and his new ‘family member’ the next day. 

* * *

“Wow, when you said ‘old’ I didn’t imagine that old,” Daniel said when he saw the camper van for the first time. 

“I told you it’s one of the last T2.” Reverently, Jack’s hand glided over the side of the vehicle. 

“To tell the truth – that means nothing to me. Your pretty T 2 is still too recent to be in the curriculum for archaeologists,” Daniel said with an apologetic smile. 

“Doesn’t matter. But you had an old junk car in university, didn’t you?” 

“Oh yes. And lots of even older models during my field work on some South American digs. There had been pick ups that only miles of duct tape held together. But I’m sure you’re looking for a more... uhm... elegant solution than Scotch tape.” Daniel grinned. 

“You can bet your duct tape on it.” Smiling, Jack patted the varnish. “This beauty deserves a second chance.” 

Jack opened the sliding door and they climbed inside. He explained, “It’s got a pop-up roof, and the back seats convert into a bed. The vender said King size – but that’s a very shrimpy king. The bed’s only five feet.” 

Jack sat down on the rear bench and continued, “You can buy a small fridge freezer and a chemical toilet for this model if you want.” 

“A freezer sounds great – cold drinks in summer will be nice. But I think I can do without the porta potty.” Daniel scrunched up his nose. 

Jack smirked. “But if you’re stuck in a traffic jam?” 

Daniel shook his head decisively. “No way, I’ll sit down on a toilet with people in the neighbouring cars watching!” 

“Sensitive plant: Mimosa pudic.” Jack shrugged and added, wiggling his index finger, “But don’t complain later.” 

Next, Jack opened the top part of a small cupboard. “Look, here’s a sink and a drawer for the cutlery. And a two burner cooktop with grill, where you can make spaghetti and prepare scrambled eggs. And...” 

“Make sure to invite your chef when travelling,” Daniel interrupted.

“You betcha.” Jack grinned. He’d already made his choice. He didn’t know if Daniel was able to do more than heat MREs or packet soup but he planned on finding out. 

Daniel let his hand glide over the orange wall. “It’s very nice and has… character.” He made an all encompassing movement with both his hands. “Imagine it with new curtains, perhaps in a dark grey, new upholstery in the same colour and some matching carpets.” 

Daniel’s enthusiasm was infectious, and in front of Jack’s eyes the dirty brown-green fabric of the curtains changed to a sophisticated grey, and the stains on the upholstery vanished to be replaced by some fancy modern decor. 

“Where do we start?” Daniel asked and looked expectantly at Jack. 

“I hate to dampen your decorating spree, but we’ll start on the outside with removing all the surface rust.” 

“Oh, yes, rust. I remember. I spent quite a few hours with sandpaper.” Daniel sighed. “Do we have everything we need?”

“I stopped yesterday on my way home and got everything to make this camper a gem again.” 

“Okay, let’s start.” 

Jack and Daniel climbed out of the van and thoroughly inspected all the parts that needed work. 

* * *

Three weeks later, after Daniel’s mission to rescue Teal’c from the virtual reality pod’s simulation, they finally finished their de-rusting job. 

Jack savoured the hours spent in Daniel’s company. They still quarrelled as much as during their missions, but because finding the right sandpaper or how long the primer had to dry, weren’t life and death situations, it was easier to reconcile afterwards. 

Besides chatting about work, the Goa’uld, and their co-workers, they also talked about private things. For the first time – after nearly a year – Jack *really* took the time to ask Daniel about the weeks directly after his expedition to the land of the Ascended, the time when he had to find his way back into his everyday life. 

At first Daniel was hesitant. But Jack didn’t ridicule him when he tried to explain in a very insufficient way how he had felt in his new/old body, and Daniel opened up more and more. Even if Jack didn’t quite get how somebody could describe his body as a neoprene-suit which was everywhere too loose and too tight at the same time. Must be his limited out-of-the-body-experiences. 

That evening, after Daniel had left, Jack rummaged in an old box until he found his neoprene-suit he had bought for surfing years and years ago and tried it on. Well, ‘tight fitting’ was a euphemism. The suit pinched around his waist, a fact Jack attributed to his age, but also too much beer, too much desk time and not enough exercise. Not a very nice feeling. 

When Jack told Daniel about this deplorable experience, Daniel laughed, and Jack wished he could make him laugh so freely more often. 

While they were painting the van, Jack talked about his time with Charlie. And Daniel honored his trust by telling him about Sha’re and their unfilled wish to have kids, only to see her pregnant with Apophis’ child shortly after. When they finished their painting job on the outside they had told the other more and deeper secrets than they had ever told the shrinks in the SGC. 

Next step was the inside of the van. They repainted some parts of the doors, bolted together some things and scrubbed the sink and the cooker until it sparkled. They talked about holidays and plans they had for the future. Jack was delighted to learn that Daniel liked a lot of the things he liked during holidays – minus the antique ruins.

* * * 

After several weeks the camper van was functional again. Jack called the insurance company, had the emissions inspection done, and took the certificate, the title and proof of insurance to the DMV to pay the fees for the registration. His new adventures were within arm’s reach. 

Only some interior design was left. The last thing they had to do was to go curtain shopping. The saleswoman at the family owned furniture store was very nice, fetched a sample book and asked, looking from Daniel to Jack and back to Daniel, “Which are the dominating colors in your bedroom?” 

Jack frowned. A) Why did she think Daniel was the expert on interior design? B) Why did she think Daniel and he shared a bedroom? After all they hadn’t arrived here holding hands! The moment Jack wanted to clarify these points Daniel answered. 

“It’s not a real bedroom,” Daniel explained smiling. “The curtains are for a small VW camper van to darken the interior.” 

Huh, why didn’t Daniel clarify that they didn’t share a bedroom? And that they weren’t a couple? 

And her next words confirmed that she was still following wrong assumptions.  
“Ah, a VW camper is perfect for two people. We wanted to buy one once but then our children happened and it’s simply too small for five.” The saleslady pointed at a page in her book. “These fabrics darken really well. Which color do you like?” 

“A dark grey.” And while Daniel and the saleswoman talked about different shades of grey, Jack’s eyes were resting on Daniel. 

Was Daniel as convinced as the saleslady that they would use the van together? Sure, they had talked about possible holiday destinations but it had sounded more like an enumeration of different National parks than real planning. But with all the hours Daniel had invested, obviously he assumed that he wouldn’t only take part in the work but also in the fun. Jack was very on board with that. 

After a while Daniel decided on a light grey for the upholstery, a darker grey for the curtains and a grey-orange carpet. Jack nodded approvingly; and very approvingly when the saleswoman proposed to sew the curtains and also do the upholstery work for them. 

* * * 

Two weeks later it was time to fetch the curtains and upholstery from the furniture store, and they took the camper to go there. After they had paid for everything and put it in the van, they were so curious to see how it all looked, that they rolled out the carpet in front of the cupboard, re-assembled the rear bench and hung up the curtains right in the parking lot. 

“Ready,” Daniel said while fiddling with the last curtain. “It looks great!”

“Cool. Really cool.” Jack was beaming. “Hey, what about a short trip? Let’s find out if the van drives as good as it looks.” 

“Now? It’s already six o’clock!”

“You’ve got other plans?” 

Daniel thought for a moment. “No.” 

“Okay then. Get in the car. We’ll stop for some coffee.” 

“And something to eat. I came directly from Teal’c’s new apartment and he still has to do some grocery shopping.” 

They filled up the car and bought everything for a picnic. They left the city on the 24 and drove toward Woodland Park sipping their coffees. An hour later they had reached their destination, a secluded parking area for hikers, already empty for the night. Jack parked the car so that the last sunrays entered when they opened the sliding doors. 

They were sitting side by side on the rear bench and eating at their brand new camping table, and drinking tea prepared on the small cooker. When the last sunrays disappeared behind the mountains the temperature fell quickly, and it looked like a storm was rolling in. Daniel closed the door; it was very comfy and homey inside while they could hear the wind howling outside. 

“For more than twenty-five years I’ve wanted to have a van like this,” Jack raved, “and now it’s finally true. It’s so… so… fantastic,” he said lamely, but smiling from ear to ear. “I… it’s simply ‘wow’!” He poked Daniel cockily with his elbow in the side. “Thank you!” 

“Don’t mention it. I only…”

“You helped enormously. Without you it would have taken me double the amount of time. Or more, because sometimes I needed you pushing me.” 

“You’re talking about that Friday afternoon when the new rear light was so difficult to install that you considered tackling your income taxes instead?” Daniel laughed. 

“Yep. And now look at us – perfect!” Jack slung his arm around Daniel’s shoulder. 

“Perfect,” Daniel agreed and put his hand over Jack’s. 

Suddenly, Jack was very aware that he didn’t want Daniel in his life only for repairing cars and only for a few hours of his free time. He needed his friend back in his life on a more permanent basis. Never again did he want to spend so much time without Daniel. He already missed him although he was still there. 

“Do I have to look for a new project, or can we keep spending time together?” Jack asked much gruffer than intended. But damn that frigging lump in his throat. 

Daniel turned his head to look at Jack. “I think we already have a new project, haven’t we?” He squeezed Jack’s hand. “What about planning a vacation together?” His fingers hesitantly caressed the back of Jack’s hand. 

Jack looked into Daniel’s serious face. This wasn’t a joke. This was a well thought through proposal. Vacations with Daniel. Only the two of them. Oh god, yes! Well, it looked as if they hadn’t only repaired the camper in the last months but also their friendship. And after all, a five foot mattress wasn’t that small. It would be big enough for both of them. And if Daniel wanted to imply with his offer that … that… well, then they definitively didn’t need more space. 

Daniel interrupted his meandering thoughts. “Of course only if you… No, you probably have better things to do than going on vacation with me,” Daniel said with a little self-deprecating shrug and started to fold the camping table. 

“Nonsense. There’s nothing better.” Jack pulled Daniel back beside him on the rear bench. “I thought you also wanted to…” He stroked through the short hair on his neck. Hell, Daniel was rebellious and difficult until the end! Jack grinned – he wouldn’t want it otherwise. 

Frontal attack then. “Do you want to see how the bed looks?” 

“Y-es?” Daniel gave him a very assessing look from over his glasses. 

“Hop, hop, then.” Jack jumped up from the bench and Daniel followed his example. Together they converted the rear bench into a bed.

The moment the tilt mechanism locked in place, Jack pushed Daniel onto the mattress. Daniel tried reflexively to grab Jack, and together they tumbled onto the bed. Jack landed on top. Very deliberately he didn’t roll from Daniel. His knee was lying on Daniel’s thigh, his left hand besides Daniel’s head, and with his right hand he rubbed small circles over Daniel’s chest. 

“I want to go on vacations with *you*. Where doesn’t matter. Only you, and I, and this mini-camper. Comprende? What do I have to do to get it into your thick skull?” Jack softened his words by pushing his right hand up and caressing Daniel’s cheek. 

Surprisingly, Daniel rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to do anything. But please, what am I supposed to think when you stare broodingly at me, furrowing your brow the moment I get my courage up to caress your hand?” 

“Oh.” 

“Yes, *oh*. That’s what I thought when you didn’t react.” With a little sigh Daniel added, “You knucklehead.” 

“Heck, I was calculating if five feet is enough…” Jack explained. 

Daniel’s lips curved into a smile, and with a hand on his neck he pulled Jack closer. “I’m sure, it’s enough. There will still be lots of empty space around us.” His voice was damn sexy and promising. 

“There will?” Jack babbled while a long missed tingling and longing raced through his body. And his faculty to concentrate deteriorated rapidly while he thought about… possibilities. 

“Promise.” Daniel’s fingers glided over Jack’s temple. “Uhm… do you think this parking is safe enough for a bit of foreplay?” Daniel’s right hand was describing large, exciting circles on Jack’s back that burned like traces of fire. 

Foreplay? Kisses? Sex? Parking lot? A public parking, only one hour away from the SGC?!

Shaking his head, Jack sighed. “No. And we didn’t even close the curtains.” Grudgingly he sat up. 

“I don’t think that the curtains are the real problem here,” Daniel said very realistically and also got up from his prone position. He put one of his hands on Jack’s back and continued, “But if we hurry, we can be back in the Springs in about an hour…” 

“You’re right. On both points.” Jack leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Daniel’s lips. Then he got up resolutely. For the moment that had to be enough. He was sure that once he felt Daniel’s naked skin under his fingers they wouldn’t make it home. 

Jack climbed into the driver’s seat, Daniel on the passenger seat, and Jack started the camper van. Only a bit more patience. 

When Daniel put his hand on Jack’s knee with a challenging grin, Jack knew that his patience would be put to a hard test. But that’s exactly what he expected from Daniel. 

 

\---------THE END-------

 

©Antares, August 2016


End file.
